Only when they play the Lakers, my friend. I don't think that Dallas will make it to the Finals. They remind me too much of Orlando. They run a gimmick offense that is overreliant on perimeter shooting. The team that I think has everything to win it all is Memphis. Has there ever been an 8th seed win it all? I believe that the winner of the Oklahoma/Memphis series will win the Finals this year. I felt this before any of the series in this round began. I didn't want to jinx Boston. Both teams have size up front, scorers, and depth. Once the Magic lost, no team in the Eastern conference had any size up front. I didn't think that the Lakers would make it past the 2nd round regardless of who they played. Memphis has really impressed me. We can all thank Danny Ainge for that. Tony Allen has changed the entire mentality of that team. Forget about Perk tilting the balance of power for Oklahoma, Ainge's refusal to sign Tony Allen for that extra year is what did it.

i agree that kristyc foul was a fantom foul...I said wow...definetely not a foul. But i have to say calls went both ways today. These refs are only human. Maybe they are too old for this job. Maybe they are to hire some younger refs.Posted by Wade3

Right, the calls went both ways. Which is exactly why the Heat shot 38 free throws and the Celtics shot 20... right, both ways......

In Response to Re: Real Game Thread : Maybe, look the Heat deserved to win this series. Lebron played great. hats off, he played at a higher level than I have ever seen him play. So congratualtions. I think the officating was bad tonight but such is life. I love the effort my team put forth. I'm glad we didn't go out like the Lakers did. Posted by jtkl

In Response to Re: Real Game Thread : Maybe, look the Heat deserved to win this series. Lebron played great. hats off, he played at a higher level than I have ever seen him play. So congratualtions. I think the officating was bad tonight but such is life. I love the effort my team put forth. I'm glad we didn't go out like the Lakers did. Posted by jtkl

couldnt agree more. they played better down the stretch and lebron won it.

the Celtics may have lost, but theyve won more respect.

now respect may not win championships but what is worse is getting cut off the playoffs early and losing a lot of respect at the same time.

Wade3 - my apologies for being such a jerk. I'm just frustrated and aggravated as expected. I still think the officiating was horrendous, but I give you guys credit for playing a good series, and I appluad you for being a classy fan.

Wade3 - my apologies for being such a jerk. I'm just frustrated and aggravated as expected. I still think the officiating was horrendous, but I give you guys credit for playing a good series, and I appluad you for being a classy fan. Best of the luck the rest of the way.Posted by vertigho

Thank you and i don't blame you i would be feeling just like you if we lost the series instead.

Hey all, I just wanted to drop in and say it was a pleasure watching the Celtics this year with all of you. I am DEFINITELY staying on this board and hope to still know all of you when we DO get #18. It's obviously hard right now... I've vented all my feelings to my best friend and am in a pretty good place considering the circumstances. We just need to get through it one day at a time. #18 will be ours some day. We will follow them there and celebrate when that time comes. I'm not sure how much I'll be on this board the next few days because I really don't want to read the trolls' posts and get emotional again. And if you're a troll reading this, please don't bother responding because I won't respond to you! But for my fellow Celtics die-hards, I will be totally here for you if you'd like to friend and/or message me. Again, you are all wonderful people and I look forward to staying in touch, and yes, having our little online #18 party some year, hopefully soon.

I dont usually type, i just like reading your comments. But I want to write this. As a Heat fan I have so much admiration for the Boston Celtics. They truly set the blueprint for what the Heat want to accomplish. I believe that the heat simply had the guys who could drive the ball to the basket and get to the foul line, but this series was much closer that the 4-1 (I never seen the Heat so focus).

You Celtics fans dont know how much the Heat organization respects Boston, the big three got together because of your big three. We play defense the way the Celtics play defense, and the only coach we would ever consider is Rivers.

The Celtics are not done, we are going to play them in another tough series next year. Wish you guys the best.

overall i think we just fell short. we were fighting the heat and the refs at the same time but we fought hard and well until jones hit that trey. from then on we already lost it. it was a good 3 and half quarters for the C's. much respect to them, they never quit. congrats to the heat. lebron won it. hands down.Posted by Green-Islander

i agree that kristyc foul was a fantom foul...I said wow...definetely not a foul. But i have to say calls went both ways today. These refs are only human. Maybe they are too old for this job. Maybe they are to hire some younger refs.Posted by Wade3

Celebrate...your team won, and LeBron came through at the end and Wade kept the Heat in there in the beginning. See where it goes from here. You are a good poster; not a troll, so let's forget the refs and see who wins the title this year.

Hey all, I just wanted to drop in and say it was a pleasure watching the Celtics this year with all of you. I am DEFINITELY staying on this board and hope to still know all of you when we DO get #18. It's obviously hard right now... I've vented all my feelings to my best friend and am in a pretty good place considering the circumstances. We just need to get through it one day at a time. #18 will be ours some day. We will follow them there and celebrate when that time comes. I'm not sure how much I'll be on this board the next few days because I really don't want to read the trolls' posts and get emotional again. And if you're a troll reading this, please don't bother responding because I won't respond to you! But for my fellow Celtics die-hards, I will be totally here for you if you'd like to friend and/or message me. Again, you are all wonderful people and I look forward to staying in touch, and yes, having our little online #18 party some year, hopefully soon.Posted by MsLithium21

To Lithium and all the great new posters: Thank you for bringing new life to this board. [Eat your heart out Sam and your private club group.] The exerpt below is from an essay about Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park in New York and the Emerald Necklace in Boston; I think it applies to what has been re-created here on this board. The quote is from the 1800s, so think about its message, not its specific words. And remember, Go Celtics!

In an oft-quoted passage, Olmsted describes, with manifest satisfaction, the way in which his landscape designs facilitated social togetherness:

"Consider that the New York and Brooklyn Park are the only places in those associated cities where, in this eighteen hundred and seventieth year after Christ, you will find a body of Christians coming together, and with an evident glee in the prospect of coming together, all classes largely represented, with a common purpose, not at all intellectual, competitive with none, disposing to jealousy and spiritual or intellectual pride toward none, each individual adding by his mere presence to the pleasure of all others, all helping to the greater happiness of each. You may thus often see vast numbers of persons brought closely together, poor and rich, young and old, Jew and Gentile…I have looked studiously but vainly among them for a single face completely unsympathetic with the prevailing expression of good nature and light-heartedness" (Olmsted 1997e, 186).

What Olmsted captures in this excerpt—the simple joy of human togetherness that can be experienced by a large group of people that is at once marked by its diversity and its common fate--is an aspect of democratic life that is mostly absent in our contemporary discussions of democratic institutions and processes.

Hey all, I just wanted to drop in and say it was a pleasure watching the Celtics this year with all of you. I am DEFINITELY staying on this board and hope to still know all of you when we DO get #18. It's obviously hard right now... I've vented all my feelings to my best friend and am in a pretty good place considering the circumstances. We just need to get through it one day at a time. #18 will be ours some day. We will follow them there and celebrate when that time comes. I'm not sure how much I'll be on this board the next few days because I really don't want to read the trolls' posts and get emotional again. And if you're a troll reading this, please don't bother responding because I won't respond to you! But for my fellow Celtics die-hards, I will be totally here for you if you'd like to friend and/or message me. Again, you are all wonderful people and I look forward to staying in touch, and yes, having our little online #18 party some year, hopefully soon.Posted by MsLithium21

YEP, it hurts! thats the problem with ANY commitment. u must deal with the thorns in order to really appreciate the perfection of the rose itself! still, the play of the game to me that i cant get out of my mind is ray running down after that steal and gliding as if in slow motion as reggie miller skillfully put it, only to give it up to kg on the 2 on 1 fast break only to watch him take it up in even slower motion with no intention to dunk it as bron fouled him as he missed the gimme layup. he then missed both shots. to win #18, we will have to find a way to match miami's athleticism. danny must find a way to go after both cp3 and dwight howard. its now a freakish athlete contest! anyway, it was good to join in ur good vibes.

We fought hard tho, even had to play against refs but had a chance in this game as well as game 4 .... coulda used some help from Baby and a few less turnovers... but the injuries have screwed us once again

Hey all, I just wanted to drop in and say it was a pleasure watching the Celtics this year with all of you. Posted by MsLithium21

LITHIUM.... i just wanted to say it to you personally; it was a grind out tooth and nail hell of a fight and i have a lot of respect for boston; especially ray allen; i know we don't like each other... but that's the nature of it... anyway you're as passionate as they come... i look forward to more battles in the future..